Separation of nutmeat fragments from shell fragments



y 1966 J. a. SANFILIPPO ETAL 3,

SEPARATION OF NUTMEAT FRAGMENTS FROM SHELL FRAGMENTS Filed Nov. 13, 1964United States Patent 3,249,219 SEPARATION OF NUTMEAT FRAGMENTS FROMSHELL FRAGMENTS Jasper B. Sanfilippo, Niles, and Joseph C. Grazlano,Chlcago, Ill., assignors to J. J. Research & Development, Inc., Chicago,11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 411,043

18 Claims. (Cl. 209-2) The present invention relates to the shelling ofnuts and, more particularly, to the separation of nutmeat fragments fromshell fragments.

In a conventional commercial method of providing shelled nutmeats, wholenuts are initially passed through a suitable breaking machine whichcracks the shell and provides access to the nutmeats. In the breakingprocess the shell is reduced to fragments but much of the nutmeat isalso broken. The resulting product therefore consists of a mixture ofshell fragments, nutmeat fragments and unbroken pieces of nutmeat which,in the case of pecans, walnuts, etc., are actually nutmeat halves andwholes. The unbroken nutmeat halves and wholes are then separated fromthe shell and nutmeat fragments by an air classification process whichutilizes an air stream to carry away' the lighter shell and nutmeatfragments, leaving the larger nutmeat halves and wholes behind. Thenutmeatfragments are then separated from the shell fragments andthelatter are discarded.

At the present time, the separation of shell and nutmeat fragments isaccomplished by one of two methods. In accordance with one of thesemethods, the nutmeat and shell fragments are placed on a moving conveyorand caused to pass under a cylindrical roll provided with a plurality ofoutwardly projecting needles. The needles impale the nutmeat fragmentsbut not the shells, thus removing the nutmeat fragments from the mixturewhile allowing the shell fragments to proceed past the roll and to bediscarded. The nutmeat fragments are removed from the roll as itrotates; As can be appreciated, many of the nutmeat fragments are notsusceptible to being impaled in this manner and thus are lost with theshell fragments. In addition, this method and apparatus cause anexceptionally large amount of breakage and mealing of the fragments. Itis estimated that as much as of the nutmeats, by weight, are thus lost.Also, it is difficult to preserve sanitary conditions while performingthis method.

In accordance with the other of these methods, a batch of nutmeat andshell fragments is placed in a large vessel partially filled with water.The vessel is sealed and a vacuum is drawn, removing entrapped air fromthe shell fragments so as to permit them to sink. The nutmeat fragmentsare buoyant, however, and their buoyancy is retained in the presence ofa vacuum. Theoretically, therefore, the shell fragments settle to thebottom of the vessel and the nutmeat fragments float. However, as apractical matter, the initial drawing of the vacuum does not remove allof the air from all of the shell fragments and, consequently, not all ofthese fragments settle to the bottom of the vessel. Hence, in practice,the vacuum is normally broken, the suspension manually stirred, and thevacuum redrawn at least three times for increased efficiency. Hence, asingle batch of shell and nutmeat fragments having a variable weightrelative to the size of the vessel requires at least twenty minutes andthe attention 3,249,219 Patented May 3, 1966 of one or possibly two men.In addition,.the length of time that the nutmeats must remain in thevessel exposed to water causes them to become water soaked to the extentthat many fragments lose their buoyancy and are lost. Further, somenutmeat fragments become trapped with the shell, while shell fragmentsbecome trapped with the nutmeats. Like the method employing the Iimpaling needles, however, the efiiciency of the batch method rarelyexceeds and, also, is relatively difiicult to perform in a sanitarymanner. Even when performed in its most eflicient manner, however, themethod is not economically desirable because of the manual laborinvolved in stirring the batch, drawing the vacuum, hand screening thenutmeats out of the water, and removing the shell from the vessel.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide anovel andimproved method and apparatus for continuously separating nutmeatfragments from 'shell fragments.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide amethod and apparatus for continuously separating nutmeat fragments fromshell fragments under a vacuum pressure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a methodand apparatus having a high rate of ef ficiency requiring essentially nomanpower or supervision.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from the following description and the associated drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side e-levational view of an apparatus showing various ofthe features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional end view taken along line 22 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURES 3 and 4 are perspective views of portions of the apparatus shownin FIGURE 1.

Very briefly, a separating apparatus 10 showing various of the featuresof the invention is illustrated in the drawing and comprises anelongated horizontally disposed tank 12 adapted to contain a quantity ofwater introduced in the form of jet streams by means of nozzles 14positioned adjacent the upper portion of the tank and inclined relativeto the vertical so as to tend to urge materials floating on the surfaceof the water toward one end of the tank. The tank is adapted to maintainan internal vacuum pressure as created by a vacuum pump 16. Supportedadjacent the bottom of the tank is a conveyor 18 which tends totransport submerged materials adjacent the bottom of the tank in thedirection of the opposite end of the tank.

A mixture of nutmeat and shell is introduced into the tank through acharging valve 20; Because of the vacuum conditions prevailing in thetank, the shell fragments soon sink to the bottom and are transported inone direction by the conveyor 18 to a shell'disoharge valve 22. Thenutmeat fragments, on the other hand, remain afloat and are driven inthe opposite direction along the surface of the water to a nutmeatdischarge valve 24 by the jet stream emitted from the nozzles 14. Thevalves 20, 22 and 24 are each adapted to permit the materials to passthrough while maintaining a desired vacuum Within the tank. Thus, thenutmeat and shell fragments introduced into the tank as a mixture aredischarged in a completely separated condition through different exits.

Now considering the illustrated apparatus 10 in greater 3 detail, thetank 12 is in the form of an elongated trough and is preferablyfabricated of stainless steel or other corrosion resistant material. Thetank is preferably of an all welded construction so as to enable it tomaintain an internal vacuum and to contain a large quantity of water andincludes a semi-cylindrical bottom wall 26, generally parallel uprightside walls 2 8, a flat generally horizontally disposedtop wall 38, and apair of end walls 32 and 34 located'at what will be referred to as theforward and rearwardends ofthe tank respectively. The tank is supportedon a frame 3 6 which includes four upright corner posts or legs 38 andhorizontal members 40 which extend between the posts. and serve tosupport certain of the operating components of the apparatus such as thevacuum pump 16. p Water is suppliedto the tank 1 2 through hot and coldwaterconduits 42 and 44 respectively which are connected through atemperature regulator 46 to one end ofa manifold pipe 148. The flow ofwater through the manifold pipe is regulated by meansof a valve 50which, in turn,

is controlled by a water level sensing device 52. The device 52, inconjunction with the valve 50, maintains the water in the tank at a'given level.

The manifold pipe 48 passesthrough' the rearward end wall 34 near theupper end thereof and extends along the length of the tank in relativelyclosely spaced relation to the top wall'30. Branch tubes 54 projectlaterally in opposite directions from the manifold pipe 4 8 at spacedpoints along its length (FIG. 2) and each tube has one of the nozzles 14mounted on its outer end in downwardly and forwardly inclineddisposition, e.g., at an angle of approximately 15 to the vertical.Water passing through thef manifold'pipe fttt is thus introduced intothe tank above, the water levelin the form of downwardly and forwardlydirected jets. The down-ward inclination of the nozzlesca-uses the jetsof water to impinge upon shell fragments supportedon the surface of thewaterby surface tension and causes these fragments to sink, thus servingthe same function as the manual stirring employed in the batch system.Theforward inclination of the jets is effective to create aforwardly'moving current on the upper surface of the water which carriesthe floating nutmeats toward the forward end of thetank. The nutmeatsconveyed in this manner through the system are in the tank fromthirty toforty seconds as compared to an exposure'to water of over twenty minutesin the batch system. p

Thevacuum pump 16 is driven by a'motor 56, both the pump and motor beingmounted on the cross members 40 ofthe name. The pump is connected to anoutlet pro- Ivided in the top upper wall 30 of the tank through asuitable trap '58 which prevents very small nutmeat or shellfragmentsfrom passing into the pump. The illustrated trap 8 includes aremovableperforated basket 60 which is adapted to retain such fragmentswhile permitting air to pass freely through the perforationsof thebasket to the ,yacuumpu-mp. Preferably, the'pump maintains a vacuumpressure of from twenty to twenty-five inches of mercury within thetank.

. Thus, the tank 1 2 is kept partially filled with water at apre-selected level while a vacuum is maintained in the upper portion ofthe tank above the water level.

The conveyor 18 is positioned adjacent the bottom of the tank 12 and isadapted to transport toward the rearward end of the tank those shellfragments Which have settled to the bottom, As illustrated, the conveyor18 is in the form of an elongated screw having an overall outer diameterwhich enables it to conform intimately to the inner surface of thesemi-cylindrical bottom wall 26 of the tank. The screw conveyor isdriven by a motor (not shown) which rotates it in such a direction aswill cause the shell fragments to be moved rearwardly, i.e., towardtheright as viewed in FIGURE 1. Thus, the nutmeats are transportedforwardly along the surface of the water in the tank by the forceimparted by the jets emitted by the nozzles 14. The shell fragments, onthe other hand, are moved rearwardly beneath the surface of the water bythe screw conveyor 18. Due to the continuous rotation of the conveyorand the movement imparted to the shell fragments by it, the shell levelat the bottom of the tank is minimized. Also, the agitation which theconveyor imparts to the shell minimizes the possibility of nutmeatsbecoming trapped with the shell.

A mixture of nutmeat and shell fragments is continu ously introducedinto the tank v12 through an opening provided in the top Wall 30'generally midway between the forward and rear-ward end walls 32 and 3 4by means of a feeding mechanism 64. The feeding mechanism includes ahopper 66 whichreceives the mixture of the shell and nutmeat fragmentsand a vibratory conveyor 68 which delivers a continuous flow of themixture to the inlet of thecharging valve 20. y

the mixture of nutmeats and shell fragments from the vibratory conveyor68. Thelower section includes diverging side walls which guide'thefragrnents from the center section to thefinterior of the tank 12.

Mounted within the center section 72 for rotationabout the horizontallydisposed axis thereof is a motor-driven valve element 78 comprising'acentralshaft'80 towhich are keyed eight-radially extending symmetricallyarranged flat vanes '82 (FIGURE 3). Each vane is'preferably formed ofstainless steelfiand has a spring loaded steel tip 84 mounted adjacentits; outer end and urgedin a direction away from the shaft. 80.so as tointimately engage the cylindrical side wall of the center section 72 andis of a width approximating that of the center section so as to preservethe vacuum within the tank. Defined between each adjacentpair of vanes82 is a pie-shaped space or receptacle, 86 which constitutes a segmentof a circular cylinder. The vanes 82 are so arranged within the centersection and relative to theopenin'gs in the upper and lower portionsthereof as to insure that twovanes are always in engagement with each ofthe two cylindrical surfaces extending between theopenings, Thus, airentering the upper section 74 of thevalve must bypass the steel tips oftwo of the vanes' befo're entering the tank 12 and at no timeis there anunobstructed path between the inlet and outlet of the valve.

To further insure the maintenance ofa vacuum incident to the operationof the charging valve 20, water is introduced into the spaces 86 afterthe spaces have been relieved of their load through deposit into thetank 12 and before they receive anew load. The water is conducted to thespaces by means of a pipe 87 which extends from the water manifold pipe48 to the center section 72 of the valve body 70 andfis effective toprovide a water seal which minimizes the amount of air which mightbypass the vanes. In addition, it rinses. the vanes to loosen anyfragments which might have adhered thereto and pre-wets the nutmeatprior to its introduction into the tank 12.

In the operation of the feeding mechanism 64, the vibratory conveyor 68receives a mixture of nutmeat and shell fragments from the hopper 66 andoperates to provide acontinuous flow of these fragments into the uppersection 74 of the valve body 70 and thenceinto the center section 72in,which the valve element 78 is rotating. Upon entering the center section72, the fragments occupy one of the spaces 86 between a pair of thevanes 82 and, as the valve element rotates, are carried to the lower end'5 of the section 72 and are deposited into the lower section of thevalve body which is in direct communication with the tank 12.

As noted above, the charging valve 20 provides this continuous flow orsupply of the mixture of nuts and shells while permitting a desiredvacuum to be maintained within the tank. More particularly, the sideedges of the vanes are disposed closely adjacent the end walls of thecenter section 72 and the outer edges of the vanes, as fitted withspring biased steel tips- 84, slidably engage the inner surface of thecylindrical wall of the section 72. Furthermore, the valve element andopenings at the top and bottom of the section 72 are so constructed thatany receiving space 86 which is in communication with the evacuated tankthrough the outlet section 76 cannot at the same time be incommunication with the inlet section 74 but is blocked therefrom by thevanes 82.

As the fragments of nutmeat and shell fall into the water in the tank12, the nutmeat fragments, which are naturally buoyant, float. Certainof the shell fragments may also float initially because of their porousnature and the fact that they contain entrapped air. Much of the mass ofnutmeat and shell fragments thus is floating initially and is urgedalong the surface of the water in the tank in the direction of theforward end wall 32. After a very short period of time, however, theoperation of the vacuum pump 16 in maintaining a vacuum within the tankwithdraws entrapped air from the shell fragments and they either sinkimmediately or, if buoyed up by surface tension, are soon driven beneaththe surface and are caused to sink upon engagement by the water jetsemitted by the nozzles 14. When the floating mass reaches the forwardend wall 32, therefore, essentially all of the shell fragments havegravitated toward the bottom of the tank and only nutmeat fragmentsremain afloat.

The screw conveyor 18 receives the shell fragments which have gravitatedto the bottom of the tank 12 and carries them in the direction of therearward end wall 34 to a shell discharge mechanism 88 which is disposedadjacent an outlet opening 90 and which includes a discharge I chamber92, the discharge valve 22 and a conveyor 94. The discharge chamber 92is in the form of a vertically disposed pipe which extends downwardlyfrom the bottom wall of the tank 12 in encircling relation to thedischarge opening or outlet 90. Disposed within the chamber 92 are apair of vertically staggered diverter plates or baflles 96, theuppermost of which is secured adjacent the forward portion of the pipeand extends downwardly and rearwardly, and the lowermost of which issecured adjacent the rearward portion of the pipe and extends downwardlyand forwardly. These baflles serve to minimize such turbulence withinthe discharge pipe as would tend to aerate the water. Such turbulence isfurther minimized by the provision of a tube 97 which providescommunication between the chamber and the evacuated interior portion ofthe tank, thus removing air which might have entered the chamber. Asmall amount of air is permitted to escape past the diverter plates tofurther agitate the mass of shell fragments before it is discharged,thereby further minimizing the possibility of any nutmeat becomingentrapped.

The discharge valve 22 is essentially identical in construction to thecharging valve 20 and is adapted to permit the shell fragments to bewithdrawn from the tank 12 while maintaining a desired vacuum within thetank.

'Thus, the valve 22 includes a housing or valve body 98' having agenerally cylindrical center section 99, an upper flared section 100,and a lower outlet section 102. The inlet section 100 and the outletsection 102 are arranged above and below the center section 99 adjacentopenings in the upper and lower portions thereof respectively. A valveelement 104 having a shaft 106 and radically extending vanes 108 ispositioned within the center section 99 for motor driven rotation abouta horizon- 6 tal axis. The vanes 108 are essentially identical to thevanes 82 of the valve 20 as shown in FIGURE 3 dimensioned so that theirside edges are positioned immediately adjacent the end walls of thecenter section 99, and their outer ends are provided with spring biasedsteel tips 109.

The lower outlet section 102 of the valve 22 is connected through anintermediate chute 110 to the lower end of the conveyor 94. The conveyor94 includes an upwardly and rearwardly inclined conduit 112 havingdisposed therein a screw conveyor 114. The conduit 112 extends upwardlyto a point above the valve body 22 and, preferably, above the bottom ofthe tank 12. The screw conveyor is continuously rotated by a suitablemotor (not shown) to move the shell fragments upwardly into a shelldischarge chute 116from which they are exhausted into a suitable wastereceptacle (not shown).

Since the shell discharge valve is located below the level of the waterin the tank, rotation of the. valve element 104 initially removes somewater from the tank 12 in addition to shell fragments. This water fillsthe chute 110 and partially fills the conduit 112 until an equilibriumis established, after which the water level remains essentially constantand the shell fragments are moved continuously out of the tank anddischarged by the conveyor 94.

As previously mentioned, the nutmeat fragments which enter the tank 12through the charging valve 20 are buoyant and are carried along thesurface of the water in the tank by virtue of the current created by thewater jets emitted from the nozzles 14. These nutmeat fragmentseventually reach the forward end wall 32 of the tank and enter thenutmeat discharge valve 24 which, in certain respects, is similar to thecharging and shell discharge valves 20 and 22, respectively.

More specifically, the nutmeat discharge valve 24 comprises a valve body118 which includes a generally cylindrical center section 120, an inletsection 122 and an outlet section 124. The inlet section 122 isconnected to the center section in surrounding relation to an inletopening in the rearward portion of the side wall thereof. The outletsection is connected to the center section in surrounding relation to anopening provided in the forward portion of the side wall thereof. Thus,the sections 120, 122 and 124 of the valve body 118 of the nutmeatdischarge valve 24 are horizontally aligned and, in this respect, thevalve body 118 differs from the valve bodies of the valves 20 and 22 inwhich the respective sections are vertically aligned.

Disposed within the center section of the valve body 118 is a valveelement 126 which includes a central shaft 128 and twelve radiallyextending equally spaced vanes 130. The vanes 130 (FIGURE 4) areproportioned so as to provide minimum clearance between their side edgesand the end walls of the center section 120 and includes spring biasedsteel tips 132 similar to those provided on the vanes 82 and 108 of thevalves 20 and 22.

In the operation of the nutmeat discharge valve 24, the valve element126, the major portion of which is submerged and which is incommunication with the interior of the tank 12 through the inlet section122, is rotated by a suitable motor (not shown). The vanes 130 of thevalve element move upwardly through the water at the forward end of thetank and engage floating as well as partially submerged fragmentscarried to the forward end of the tank by the current previouslyreferred to. As the vanes continue to move upwardly toward a verticalposition but are still submerged, the engaged fragments movealong thevane toward the shaft 128 and, as the vanes pass through the verticalposition, are deposited on the adjacent surface (previously the lowersurface) of the immediately preceding vane. The nutmeat fragments areswept from the surface with the flow of water carried from the tank andtravel down a chute 134 to a suitable receiving convey-or or receptacle(not shown).

In order to enable the vanes 130 to more readily engage and retain thefloating nutmeat fragments and remove them from the tank 12, each vanehas a scoop 136 in the form of a perforated steel strip secured adjacentits outer edge. Accordingly, as the valve element rotates, the scoops ofeach vane engage floating and partially submerged fragments and retainthem on the vane until the vane has been rotated to a generally verticalposition.

While the separation of the nutmeat and shell fragments within the tank12 is relatively complete so that essentially all of the shell fragmentshave gravitated to the bottom of the tank before they reach the forwardend, the speed at which the nutmeat fragments are conveyed through thetank permits some slow sinking shell fragments to enter the nutmeatdischarge valve 24. To effect a final separation of these shellfragments from the nutmeat fragments, that surface of each of the vanes130 which is uppermost when the vane is moving downwardly, i.e., whenthe vane is adjacent the outlet section of the valve, is provided with atransversely extending rib 137 which definies a wall 13% disposedgenerally normal to the plane of the vane intermediate the forward andrearward portions.

The wall 138 serves to further separate the shell fragments from thenutmeat fragments by retaining the shell fragments on the vane while thenut-meat fragments are washed away with the water. More specifically, asthe vane is rotated toward the vertical position, the frag-ments andwater carried by it shift toward the shaft 128 supporting the vane. Asthe vane passes its vertical position, the fragments and water aredumped from the inner portion of the surface of one vane to the innerportion of the adjacent surface of the preceding vane, as previously setforth. Since this inner portion of the vane on which the fragments andwater are ultimately deposited is behind the rib 137, the wall 138serves as a shallow barrier to the fragments and water. As the vane isfurther rotated, the water flows from the vane and carries with it thefloating nutmeat fragments. The shell fragments, however, which do notfloat, are retained on the vane by the wall 138 and continue to beretained by the wall even when the vane again reaches a verticaldownwardly directed disposition within the lower portion of the centersection. Tubes 140 provide communication between each side of this lowerportion of the center section of the valve and the evacuated portion ofthe tank and serve to remove such retained shell fragments from thevanes and return them to the tank.

In the use of the above-described method and apparatus, the nutmeatfragments and shell fragments are introduced into the hopper .66 andpass through the valve 20 into the tank 12. The nutmeat fragments arecarried along the surface of the water in the tank and are dischargedthrough the valve 24. Preferably, the nutmeat fragments remain in thewater only thirty'to forty seconds and are thus discharged long beforethey become so waterlogged as to be lost. Also, the rapid movement ofthe nutmeats andthe minimum volume in the tank at any one timeeliminates the possibility of their becoming trapped in the shells. Whenthe nutmeat fragments reach the valve 24, they are scooped from thewater in such a manner that fragments floating on the surface as well asthose immediately below the surface are engaged and withdrawn.

The shell fra-gments are rapidly withdrawn from the tank through thevalve 22, thus preventing them from remaining in the water long enoughto effect its discoloration so as to subject the nutmeat fragments todiscoloration as well. The inflow of water through the nozzles 14 andthe outflow of water through the valves 22 and 24 causes the water inthe tank to be changed as much as seven times an hour, thus furtherpreventing such discoloration. The rapid movement of the shell fragmentsminimizes the possibility of nutmeat fragments becoming entrappedtherewith.

The valves 20, 22 and 24 permit the introduction and discharge ofmaterials from the tank while a vacuum pressure of from fifteen totwenty-five inches of mercury is maintained in the tank. The presence ofthe spray nozzles, the constant movement of fluid and materials throughthe tank, plus its preferably stainless steel construction, enable it toflush itself, thereby eliminating manual labor for cleaning.

The method for separating nuts described above provides continuousoperation at high efficiency, high speed, with a minimum of labor, andunder the most sanitary conditions. The illustrated separating apparatus10, which provides a particularly effective structure for performing themethod, incorporates various desirable and useful features whichcontribute to its simplicity, efficiency and dependability.

Various modifications and changes may be made in the described methodand/ or illustrated structure without departing from the spirit andscope of the present inven tion.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

' 1. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyantfragments of nutmeat from a mixture of such nutmeat fragments andfragments of nut shell which are not buoyant in a vacuum environment,said apparatus comprising a sealed tank adapted .to contain a body ofwater, means for maintaining a vacuum in said tank above the surface ofthe body of water, means for continuously introducing a flow of themixture of nutmeat and shell fragments into said tank and body of waterwhile maintaining the vacuum, means for continuously moving floatingfragments of nutmeat in a given direction on the surface of the body ofWater, means for continuously moving sub merged pieces of nut shell in adetermined direction adjacent the bottom of the body of water, and meansfor removing the nutmeat fragments from the tank separate from the shellfragments while maintaining. the vacuum within the tank.

2. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said apparatus comprisinga sealed tank adapted to contain a body of water, means formaintaining avacuum in said tank above the surface of the body of water, means forcontinuously introducing a flow of the mixture of nutmeat andshellfragments into said tank and body of water while maintaining the vacuum,means for continuously moving floatfloating fragments of nutmeat fromsaid tank while maintaining the vacuum, means for continuouslydischarging submerged pieces of nut shell from said tank whilemaintaining the vacuum, means for continuoulsy moving floatingfragmentsof nutmeat along the surface of the body of water toward saidnutmeat discharging means, and means for continuously moving fragmentsof submerged nut shell toward said nut shell discharging means.

3. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said apparatus comprisinga sealed tank adapted to contain a body of water, means for maintaininga vacuum in said tank above the surface of the body of water, means forintroducing a continuous flow of the mixture of nutmeat and shellfragments into said tank while maintaining the vacuum, means adjacentone end of the body of water for continuously discharging floatingfragments of nutmeat from said body while maintaining the vacuum, mean-sadjacent the opposite end of the body of water for continuouslydischarging submerged pieces of nut she-ll from said body whilemaintaining the vacuum, means for continuously moving floa tingfragments of nutmeat in one direction toward said nutmeat dischargingmeans, and means in said tank for continuously moving submerged piecesof nut shell in the opposite direction toward said nut shell dischargingmeans.

4. An apparatus for'separating naturally buoyant fragments of nutmeatfrom a mixture of such nutmeat fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said apparatus comprisingmeans defining an elongated, horizontally extending sealed tank adaptedto contain a body of water, means for creating a vacuum in said tankabove the surface of the body of water, means for moving floatingfragments of nutmeat in one direction along the surface of the body ofwater, means for discharging nutmeat fragments from said tank whilemaintaining the vacuum in said tank, and means for moving submergedpieces of nut shell in the opposite direction adjacent the bottom of thebody of water.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim' 1 wherein the floatingfragments of nutmeat are moved in a given direction along the surface ofthe body of water by jets of water emitted from nozzles positioned abovethe surface of the body of water and inclined downwardly and in saidgiven direction.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which means are providedfor controlling the level of the water in the tank.

7. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said apparatus comprisingan elongated horizontally extending sealed tank adapted to contain abody of Water, the lower portion of said tank being defined by agenerally semi-cylindrical upwardly open bottom wall, means for creatinga vacuum in said tank above the surface of the body of water, a firstvalve for continuously introducing a flow of the mixture of nutmeat andshell fragments into said tank while maintaining a vacuum, means forcontinuously moving floating nutmeat fragments along the surface of thebody of water in a given direction, means for continuously moving piecesof submerged nut shell along the bottom of said bodyof water, saidlast-mentioned means including an elongated rotatable screw conveyordisposed generally horizontally along the bottom of said tank soproportioned as to intimately engage the inner surface of thesemi-cylindrical bottom wall of said tank when said screw conveyorrotates, said screw conveyor along substantially its entire length beingopen upward to said body of water, a second valve for continuouslydischarging nut shell fragments from said tank while maintaining thevacuum and a third valve for continuously discharging nutmeat fragmentsfrom said tank while maintaining a vacuum.

8. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of nut material including such nutmeatfragments and fragments of nut shell which are not buoyant in a vacuumenvironment, said apparatus comprising an elongated horizontallyextending sealed tank having a forward and'rearward end and adapted tocontain a body of water, means for maintaining a vacuum in said tankabove the surface of the body of water, a first valve for continuouslyintroducing a flow of the mixture of nutmeat and shell fragments intosaid tank and body of water while maintaining the vacuum, means forcontinuously moving floating nutmeat fragments forwardly along thesurface of the body of water toward one end of the tank, saidlast-mentioned means including a plurality of nozzles disposed alongsaid tank above the surface of the body of water and adapted to direct.jets of water in a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction oversubstantially the entire surface of the body of water to cause thefloating fragments to move forwardly and to cause the floating fragmentsto be at least partially submerged to break surface tension and tofacilitate settling of pieces of nutshell to the bottom of said tank,means for continuously moving fragments of nut shell that have settledto the bottom of said tank rearwardly, said last-mentioned meansincluding an elongated screw conveyor rotatably supported in said tankand extending along the bottom thereof, means for maintaining the levelof water within said tank within a given range, a second valve supportedadjacent the forward end of said tank for continuously dischargingnutmeat fragments floating in the water from said tank while maintainingthe vacuum, and a third valve supported adjacent the rearward end ofsaid tank for continuously discharging submerged nut shell fragmentsfrom said tank without appreciably disturbing the vacuum.

9. A method of continuously separating naturally buoyant fragments ofnutmeat from a mixture of such nutmeat fragments and fragments of nutshell which are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said methodcomprising the steps of continuously introducing a flow of the tinuouslymoving submerged fragments of shell toward a shell discharge, andcontinuously discharging fragments of nutmeat and fragments of shellfrom the compartment through the respective discharges withoutappreciably disturbing the vacuum within the compartment.

10. A method of continuously separating naturally buoyant fragments ofnutmeat from a mixture of such nutmeat fragments and fragments of nutshell which are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said methodcomprising the steps of continuously introducing a flow of the mixtureinto a sealed compartment partially filled with a liquid and having avacuum above the liquid without appreciably disturbing the vacuum,continuously, moving floating fragments of nutmeat towarda nutmeatdischarge while continuously moving submerged fragments of shell towarda shell discharge, continuously agitating the surface of the liquid soas to at least partially submerge floating material and break surfacetension to permit pieces of nut shell to settle to the bottom of saidcompartment, and continuously discharging fragments of nutmeat andfragments of shell from the compartment through the respectivedischarges while maintaining the vacuum within the compartment.

11. A method of continuously separating naturally buoyant fragments ofnutmeat from a mixture of such nutmeat fragments and fragments of nutshell which are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said methodcomprising the steps of continuously introducing a flow of the mixtureintermediate the ends of a sealed compartment partially filled withwater and having a vacuum above the water, while maintaining the vacuum,continuously moving floating fragments of nutmeat on the surface of thewater in one direction toward one end of the compartment whilecontinuously moving submerged pieces of nut shell along the bottom ofthe compartment in the opposite direction toward the other end thereof,and continuously, and while maintaining the vacuum in the compartment,discharging fragments of nutmeat from one end thereof and fragments ofnut shell from the other end thereof.

12. A method for separating naturally buoyant fragments of nutmeat froma mixture of such fragments of nutmeat and fragments of nut shell whichare not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said method comprising thesteps of introducing a quantity of the mixture into a sealed compartmenthaving liquid in its bottom and a from a mixture of nut materialincluding such fragments of nutmeat and pieces of nut shell, said methodcomprising the steps of introducing a quantity of the mixture into asealed compartment having liquid in its bottom and a vacuum region abovethe liquid, moving floating nut material along the surface of the liquidadjacent the vacuum region in one direction toward a nutmeat dischargein a manner that agitates the surface of the liquid and submerges thematerial to break surface tension and allow pieces of nut shell tosettle, discharging the nutmeat fragments from the compartment whilemaintaining the vacuum, and moving submerged pieces of nut shell in theopposite direction to a shell discharge while maintaining the vacuum.

14. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such nutmeat fragments and fragments of nutshell which are not buoyant 'in a vacuum environment, said apparatuscomprising a sealed tank adapted to contain a body of water, means formaintaining a vacuum in said tank above the surface of the body ofwater, means for continuously introducing a flow of the mixture ofnutmeat and shell fragments into said tank and body of water whilemaintaining the vacuum, said last-mentioned means including a valvebody, a valve element disposed within said body for rotation about afixed axis, said valve element having a plurality of vanes extendingradially from said axis, said vanes being adapted to receive fragmentsat one point and deposit them at a second point incident to the rotationof said valve'element, and means for introducing water into said valvebody for contact with said vanes as said vanes pass from said secondpoint to said first point, means for continuously moving floatingfragments of nutmeat in a given direction on the surface of the body ofwater, means for continuously moving submerged pieces of nut shell in adetermined direction adjacent the bottom of the body of water, and meansfor removing the nutmeat fragments from the tank separate from the shellfragments while maintaining the vacuum within the tank.

15. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said apparatus comprisinga sealed tank adapted to contain a body of water, means for maintaininga vacuum in said tank above the surface of the body of water, means forcontinuously introducing a flow of the mixture of nutmeat and shellfragments into said'tank and body of water while' maintaining thevacuum, means for continuously discharging floating fragments of nutmeatfrom said tank while maintaining the vacuum, means for continuouslydischarging submerged pieces of nut shell from said tank whilemaintaining the vacuum, said last-mentioned means including a conduitadaptedtto receive shell fragments from said tank and having inclinedbaffle plates disposed therein, means providing communication betweenthe evacuated portion of said tank and said conduit, and a conveyoradapted to receive shell fragments from said conduit and transport themtherefrom, means for continuously moving floating fragments of nutmeatalong the surface of the body of vacuum, said last-mentioned meansincluding a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, a valve elementdisposed within said valve body for rotation about a fixed axis, saidvalve element including a plurality of vanes extending radially fromsaid axis,'said vanes being proportioned so that the side and outeredges thereof fit closely to the adjacent walls of said valve body, anda perforated scoop secured to that surface of each vane which isuppermost as the vane moves upwardly adjacent the inlet of said valve,means for continuously discharging submerged pieces of nut shell fromsaid tank while maintaining the vacuum, means for continuously movingfloating fragments of nutmeat along, the surface of the body of watertoward said nutmeat discharging means, and means for continuously movingfragments of submerged nut shell toward said nut shell dischargingmeans.

17. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said apparatus comprisinga sealed tank adapted to contain a body of water, means for maintaininga vacuum in said tank above the surface of the body of'water, means forcontinuously introducing a flow of the mixture of nutmeat and shellfragments into said tank and body of water while maintaining the vacuum,means for continuously discharging floating fragments of nutmeat fromsaid tank while maintaining the vacuum, said last-mentioned meansincluding a valve including a valve body having an inlet and an outlet,a valve element disposed within said valve body for rotation about afixed axis, saidvalve element including a plurality of vanes extendingradially from saidv axis, said vanes being proportioned so that the sideand outer edges thereof fit closely to the adjacent walls of said valvebody, means defining a wall generally transverse to the plane of each ofsaid vanes and extending across that surface thereof which is'uppermostasv the vane passes adjacent thevalve outlet, thereby enabling said wallto retain-submerged fragments of nut shell on said vane, means forcontinuouslydischarging submerged pieces of nut shell from said tankwhile maintaining the vacuum, means for continuously moving floatingfragments of nutmeat along the surface of the body of water toward saidnutmeat discharging means, and means for continuously'moving fragmentsof submerged nut shell toward said nut shell discharging means.

18. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoywater toward said nutmeat discharging means, and meansfor continuously moving fragments of submerged nut shell toward said nutshell discharging means.

16. An apparatus for continuously separating naturally buoyant fragmentsof nutmeat from a mixture of such fragments and fragments of nut shellwhich are not buoyant in a vacuum environment, said apparatus comprisinga sealed tank adapted to contain a body of water, means 1 formaintaining a vacuum in said tank above the surface ant in a vacuumenvironment, said apparatus comprising a sealed tank adapted to containa body of water, means for maintaining a vacuum in said tank above thesurface of the body of water, means, for continuously introducing a flowof the mixture of nutmeat and shell fragments into said tank and body ofwater while maintaining the vacuum, means for continuously dischargingfloating fragments'of nutmeat from said tank while maintaining thevacuum, said last-mentioned means including a valve including a valvebody'having an inlet and an outlet, a valve element disposed within saidvalve body for rotation about a fixed axis, said valve element includinga plurality of vanes extending radially from said axis, said vanes beingproportioned sothat the side and outer edges thereof fit closely to theadjacent walls of said valve body, the outer portion of each of saidvanes being offset relative to the inner portion so as to provide a wallgenerally transverse to the plane of said vane, said offset being insuch a direction as to cause the outer portion of each said ,vane to bedisposed above the inner portion thereof as the vane passes adjacent thevalve outlet, thereby enabling said wall to retain submerged fragmentsof nut shell on said vane, and means providing communication between theevacuated portion of said tank and that portion of said valve body whichsaid vanes enter immediately after passing said outlet so as to removeretained shell fragments from said vanes, means for continuouslydischarging submerged pieces of nut shell from said tank Whilemaintaining the vacuum, means for continuously moving floating fragmentsof nutmeat along the surface of the body of Water toward said nutmeatdischarging means, and means for continuously moving fragments ofsubmerged nut shell toward said nut shell discharging means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,241,737 5/1941Romberg 209-173 X 2,530,676 11/1950 Berg 209-173 2,670,078 2/1954 Davis209-173 X 2,858,212 10/1958 Durant 21417.4 X

References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS Barab. Hiller.Voight. Bloedorn. Romberg. Palmrose. MacFarlane. Armstrong. Teague.Harris.

FRANK W. LUTTER, Primary Examiner.

4. AN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING NATURALLY BUOYANT FRAGMENTS OF NUTMEATFROM A MIXTURE OF SUCH NUTMEAT FRAGMENTS AND FRAGMENTS OF NUT SHELLWHICH ARE NOT BUOYANT IN A VACUUM ENVIRONMENT, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISINGMEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED, HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SEALED TANK ADAPTEDTO CONTAIN A BODY OF WATER, MEANS FOR CREATING A VACUUM IN SAID TANKABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE BODY OF WATER, MEANS FOR MOVING FLOATINGFRAGMENTS OF NUTMEAT IN ONE DIRECTION ALONG THE SURFACE OF THE BODY OFWATER, MEANS FOR DISCHARGING NUTMEAT FRAGMENTS FROM SAID TANK WHILEMAINTAINING THE VACUUM IN SAID TANK, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SUBMERGEDPIECES OF NUT SHELL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THEBODY OF WATER.